Listen to this article in summarized format
Loading...
××
Subscribe to
Unlock AI Briefing and Premium Content
Subscribe NowWhat's Included
- Exclusive Stories
- Daily ePaper Access
- Smart Market Tools
- Curated Investment Ideas
- Ad-lite Experience
Subscription
Companies in India outside of the tech sector are stepping up hiring of artificial intelligence (AI) professionals amid a rush to boost productivity and stay ahead of the curve.
Recruiters Quess, Michael Page, Randstad and Xpheno told ET that the demand for AI professionals among non-tech companies-such as banks, healthcare providers, consulting firms, manufacturers, and retailers-has increased by 25% to 50% compared with the previous year.
The demand for AI jobs is mostly for engineering, support and functional roles, according to data collated by specialist staffing firm Xpheno. Among the companies hiring actively are JPMorgan Chase, IQVIA, BNY, Optum, PwC and Wells Fargo, Xpheno said.
"The active hiring for AI roles in the non-tech sectors is driven by a need to organise data, processes and people structures for efficiencies and non-linear business growth," said Kamal Karanth, co-founder of Xpheno. "This is an important shift and phase for non-tech firms, to avoid being left behind in the larger AI-enabled ecosystem."
Anand V, chief information officer for the APAC region at Randstad, said he's seen AI hiring mandates from non-technology sectors surge by 50% over the past year. "Companies across banking, financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, insurance, hospitality, real estate and retail are embedding AI directly into revenue, risk and operations, and not treating it as a tech add-on, which is driving this acceleration," he said.
As AI adaptation increases across sectors such as BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), retail, manufacturing and energy, hiring of professionals trained in AI and related fields has shot up, said Kapil Joshi, chief executive (IT staffing) at Quess Corp.
AI/ML (machine learning) hiring in non-IT sectors has surged by over 50% y-o-y, a sign of how strongly traditional industries are investing in automation, fraud prevention, decision intelligence and personalised customer journeys. Generative AI (GenAI)-specific roles are growing by 178% year-on-year, he said.
Companies gung-ho
Organisations such as RPG Group, Deloitte and EY have stepped up hiring for AI-related roles across levels.
"We've seen a significant growth in AI-related hiring, reflecting both the pace of client demand and our focus on building a technology-first firm," said Arti Dua, partner and national talent leader at EY India.
"We are investing significantly in generative AI, machine learning, data engineering, AI governance, responsible AI frameworks and applied AI and business integration." Dua said, "We are bringing in AI engineers, data engineers, solution architects and product managers--roles that sit at the intersection of technology, data and business transformation."
At RPG Group, the allocation of resources in AI-related projects has increased by 30% in the last 12 months. The conglomerate aims to double this in the next 15 months.
"We believe artificial intelligence and technology is an integral part and enabler for diversified manufacturing-first businesses like ours to be future resilient," said Amol Deshpande, group chief digital officer and head of innovation at RPG Group.
RPG is hiring data engineers, data scientists and GenAI experts.
At Deloitte India, chief people and experience officer Deepti Sagar said the hiring momentum has been particularly strong in GenAI, data modernisation and cloud-based AI delivery.
"As a professional services firm, we need to stay ahead of the curve with AI-enabled service delivery for our clients," said Sagar. “That involves having an AI-ready workforce that can improve innovation, decision-making and productivity, while deploying this new normal tech responsibly.”
Talent crunch driving up salaries
According to recruiters, the demand-supply gap in the AI talent market is pushing up salaries, even as many companies train talent internally.
Annual salaries for mid-level data scientists or AI/ML engineers range from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 70 lakh, while for AI heads, it usually tops Rs 1.2-1.5 crore, said Pranshu Upadhyay, head of India technology practice at recruitment firm Michael Page.
At global capability centres, leadership positions such as chief AI officer or chief data officer often command salaries in the Rs 2 crore to Rs 2.5 crore range, said Randstad.
“Given the talent crunch, for a non-tech company, it is even more difficult to attract AI professionals because product tech companies and the startup ecosystem offer more in terms of benefits, salaries, equity, etc.,” said Upadhyay. “More traditional companies don’t have that much bandwidth. Non-tech companies are selling stability and long-term growth to attract professionals.”
Recruiters Quess, Michael Page, Randstad and Xpheno told ET that the demand for AI professionals among non-tech companies-such as banks, healthcare providers, consulting firms, manufacturers, and retailers-has increased by 25% to 50% compared with the previous year.
The demand for AI jobs is mostly for engineering, support and functional roles, according to data collated by specialist staffing firm Xpheno. Among the companies hiring actively are JPMorgan Chase, IQVIA, BNY, Optum, PwC and Wells Fargo, Xpheno said.
"The active hiring for AI roles in the non-tech sectors is driven by a need to organise data, processes and people structures for efficiencies and non-linear business growth," said Kamal Karanth, co-founder of Xpheno. "This is an important shift and phase for non-tech firms, to avoid being left behind in the larger AI-enabled ecosystem."
Anand V, chief information officer for the APAC region at Randstad, said he's seen AI hiring mandates from non-technology sectors surge by 50% over the past year. "Companies across banking, financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, insurance, hospitality, real estate and retail are embedding AI directly into revenue, risk and operations, and not treating it as a tech add-on, which is driving this acceleration," he said.
As AI adaptation increases across sectors such as BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), retail, manufacturing and energy, hiring of professionals trained in AI and related fields has shot up, said Kapil Joshi, chief executive (IT staffing) at Quess Corp.
AI/ML (machine learning) hiring in non-IT sectors has surged by over 50% y-o-y, a sign of how strongly traditional industries are investing in automation, fraud prevention, decision intelligence and personalised customer journeys. Generative AI (GenAI)-specific roles are growing by 178% year-on-year, he said.
Companies gung-ho
Organisations such as RPG Group, Deloitte and EY have stepped up hiring for AI-related roles across levels.
"We've seen a significant growth in AI-related hiring, reflecting both the pace of client demand and our focus on building a technology-first firm," said Arti Dua, partner and national talent leader at EY India.
"We are investing significantly in generative AI, machine learning, data engineering, AI governance, responsible AI frameworks and applied AI and business integration." Dua said, "We are bringing in AI engineers, data engineers, solution architects and product managers--roles that sit at the intersection of technology, data and business transformation."
At RPG Group, the allocation of resources in AI-related projects has increased by 30% in the last 12 months. The conglomerate aims to double this in the next 15 months.
"We believe artificial intelligence and technology is an integral part and enabler for diversified manufacturing-first businesses like ours to be future resilient," said Amol Deshpande, group chief digital officer and head of innovation at RPG Group.
RPG is hiring data engineers, data scientists and GenAI experts.
At Deloitte India, chief people and experience officer Deepti Sagar said the hiring momentum has been particularly strong in GenAI, data modernisation and cloud-based AI delivery.
"As a professional services firm, we need to stay ahead of the curve with AI-enabled service delivery for our clients," said Sagar. “That involves having an AI-ready workforce that can improve innovation, decision-making and productivity, while deploying this new normal tech responsibly.”
Talent crunch driving up salaries
According to recruiters, the demand-supply gap in the AI talent market is pushing up salaries, even as many companies train talent internally.
Annual salaries for mid-level data scientists or AI/ML engineers range from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 70 lakh, while for AI heads, it usually tops Rs 1.2-1.5 crore, said Pranshu Upadhyay, head of India technology practice at recruitment firm Michael Page.
At global capability centres, leadership positions such as chief AI officer or chief data officer often command salaries in the Rs 2 crore to Rs 2.5 crore range, said Randstad.
“Given the talent crunch, for a non-tech company, it is even more difficult to attract AI professionals because product tech companies and the startup ecosystem offer more in terms of benefits, salaries, equity, etc.,” said Upadhyay. “More traditional companies don’t have that much bandwidth. Non-tech companies are selling stability and long-term growth to attract professionals.”
